Know Your Champions League Opponent: VfB Stuttgart

Today Barcelona begins their knockout round of 16 against German side Vfb Stuttgart and you can probably guess who is the favorite in this match-up? Well it is the treble winners of course. But what is the deal with this Stuttgart team and how are they doing this season? Lets break it down.

The Past

Stuttgart is considered a perennial top division squad and the last time the squad wasn’t playing in the top division was right at the turn of the millennium in 2000/2001. But since the club arrived back on the top flight they have yet to finish worse then 10th place in those nine seasons. And four of those years the club finished in the top four spots in the league. There best season was 2006/2007 when the club took home the German league title and last year the club finished the year in 3rd place.

The Present

Stuttgart is experiencing a down year and currently reside in ninth place in the German league. The good news is that the club after experiencing a terrible start to the season, have played excellent football the last few months. In fact the German club have only lost a single league match since last November. But following a 2-5-7 start to the year the club has pulled to an even .500 winning percentage going into this weeks action.

The Prediction

It isn’t rocket science to pick Barcelona over the Germans. First off, Stuttgart doesn’t have a single player that has scored more then five goals this season on their club. Secondly, the German squad has struggled to contain offenses in their own league. And third they are playing against Barca. Barca will likely go on to win the two match aggregate score 6-1.